Today the USA Bid Committee announced the thirty-two venues (in twenty-seven metro areas) still in contention to host World Cup matches in either 2018 or 2022 should the country be selected.

There are a couple of surprises on the list, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium chief among them, but the inclusion of the extremely narrow Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor may also raise some eyebrows. Michigan Stadium, or "The Big House" to fans of the University of Michigan, is the largest stadium (not counting auto facilities) in the United States so maybe it's inclusion isn't such a mystery, but some major modifications will have to be done in order for the stadium to house the seventy yard wide pitch required to host the FIFA World Cup, the same goes for Jacksonville though there is a long shot of that happening anyway. RFK Stadium does have history as a soccer venue but it's hard to get passed it's crumbling, cookie-cutter facade and small capacity, especially considering that the 90,000-capacity FedExField in nearby Landover, Maryland -- another venue that falls into the above category -- is also bidding.

Washington, DC is one of five "markets" (for some reason terming cities "markets" really irks me) that have two stadiums in the running, the other two are Dallas, Texas (The 89,000-capacity Cotton Bowl -- a 1994 host venue -- and Arlington's 100,000-seat Cowboys Stadium), Los Angeles, Detroit, Michigan who in addition to the aforementioned Michigan Stadium have also put forth Ford Field, located in the heart of Detroit, and Seattle. No city is going to get two host venues, not in a country with as many options as the United States so there's a good chance we can rule out Ford Field, though there's still a glimmer of hope for the Cotton Bowl as the Cowboys Stadium seems to have some issues when it comes to hosting soccer matches. RFK Stadium will very likely be demolished by 2018 anyway, stopping any potential debate regarding a possible capital venue.

An interesting debate is about which Southern venue will host matches if only one is chosen. Atlanta is the largest city in the South (though Charlotte proper is actually larger than Atlanta proper) and would seemingly get the nod without much debate, but it's stadium, the Georgia Dome, is in the same boat with Ann Arbor, Jacksonville, and Landover in it's inability to fit a proper pitch unlike it's rivals Charlotte and Nashville. Charlotte has the largest stadium of the three at just shy of 74,000 and will have rail links in place by the time a potential World Cup rolls around, and Nashville is probably in the most central location of the three. However, with the American population demographics continuing a Southern shift there is no reason why two of the three couldn't host matches.

Florida has four venues in the mix: Jacksonville is joined by Miami (Land Shark Stadium), Orlando (the Florida Citrus Bowl) and Tampa (Raymond James Stadium). While geographically in the South, Florida's sheer size and status as a tourism hub means it merits separate status when determining host venues. Miami may well be a shoe in, it was kept out of the mix in 1994 because baseball's Florida Marlins were unable to vacate then Joe Robbie Stadium for the required time, but the Marlins are moving to a new stadium within the next few years and will no longer present a problem. Rumors continue to circle around the potential fate of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, residents of the city-owned Jacksonvile Municipal Stadium. Jacksonville, oddly, is somewhat of a Rugby League hotbed and if the Jaguars up sticks to Los Angeles it could mean that the Axemen get a sweetheart deal on the stadium which may merit a widening of the pitch, but unless this long shot happens Jacksonville is likely to lose out to Miami or Tampa. While Orlando hosted matches in 1994 the Citrus Bowl is nowhere near up to standard and the city has bigger worries than renovating a stadium without a big tenant.

In the northeast New York (East Rutherford, New Jersey) is essentially a shoe-in and one would think the same of Foxborough, Mass. (near Boston). Philadelphia and Baltimore may end up being left out in the cold given how close they are to New York and Washington.

The only automatic choice in the "heartland" is Chicago's Soldier Field. Chicago is a soccer hotbed and the second city and couldn't possibly be left out. St. Louis (with the Edward Jones Dome), Kansas City (Arrowhead) and Indianapolis (Lucas Oil Stadium) are also bidding. Arrowhead is rather famous for it's noise but doesn't present much else that would stand out to the electors and the two domed stadiums have retractable seats which allow them to fit soccer fields but reduce capacity. All three of these places are likely to lose out to a second Texas venue in Houston's Reliant Stadium.

Out west you have several strong candidates including two famous venues in Greater Los Angeles: The Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl. Both stadiums are starting to show their age though both may be set for a renovation in the near future, if it gets renovated the Rose Bowl will almost certainly host the final. Seattle is looking to capitalize on the rousing success of the Sounders and has put forth Qwest Field which doesn't face much competition in that area unless you're willing to include Denver's Invesco Field. Glendale is an interesting one as it has the fine University of Phoenix Stadium, it looks likely that it would host ahead of Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Qualcomm Stadium and Stanford Stadium. Husky Stadium has no chance.

My final bid would be: Foxborough, East Rutherford, Washington, Nashville, Charlotte, Miami, Chicago, Arlington, Houston, Glendale, Seattle, and Pasadena.

Well, I guess it should be "Hi, Mun2", considering Mun2 ("mundos") is primarily English speaking network.

Why am I writing about Mun2? Well, if you're asking that than you obviously aren't aware of the situation concerning the Mexico v United States World Cup Qualifying match on August 12th.

Usually US National Team matches are broadcast on ESPN2 (or sometimes they feel generous and put them on ESPN), at the very least ESPN Classic. But that isn't the case for this match, and that isn't the fault of ESPN actually. Since Mexico is the home team the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación (or FEMEXFUT, which is equally a mouthful) controls who owns the rights to broadcast the match and they have a deal with NBC Universal through Telemundo, both rights -- Spanish AND English. This is where it get interesting.

Supposedly NBC outbid Disney (ABC & ESPN) for the World Cup but the USSF had a word with FIFA about how ESPN supports MLS and therefore deserves the rights to the World Cup more than NBC. Needless to say, NBC wasn't, and isn't, happy about this. The rumor is that ESPN approached NBC about buying the English rights so they could show the match, which is expected to be in high demand given the ferocity of the rivalry and the Americans recent Confederations Cup success, NBC said "How about naw?", or something like that.

So, instead of the match being broadcast in English on ESPN it will be broadcast in English on Mun2, Telemundo's baby sister, and I do mean "baby" - Mun2 is in 30 million US homes. Telemundo has yet to decide who will call the match for Mun2.

This has caused a fair bit of controversy in American soccer circles, obviously. Hardly anyone gets Mun2 (though many get Telemundo, who will broadcast the Spanish feed). There's even a petition (linked) to get the match moved to one of NBC's seven-gazillion other networks, namely the USA Network.

People have a right to be angry, but you can't exactly fault NBC. If the World Cup rumors are true they really got screwed. Plus they obviously want people to be more aware of Mun2's existence, it doesn't seem like a bad channel to be honest. It's kind of like MTV.

If you've gotten this far, I love you. Mun2 is on Dish Network 838 and DirecTV 410, I believe the latter requires a subscription to a Spanish language package.

I should blog more, I know. I kind of feel bad because I told Gil that I would earlier this year, but the year hasn't been easy for me. At the moment the doctor says I have bronchitis, so, we'll see. Thanks for reading anyway.

According to Soccer By Ives, fifty-eight of the seventy venues contacted by the United States Soccer Federation have expressed interest in hosting World Cup matches. The twelve venues that expressed no interest are all NCAA (American) football venues.

Of the remaining stadiums there are many that I have questions about, specifically their ability to fit an international sized pitch. I know that the field can be raised at the expense of some sections of seating but I don't really think FIFA or the USSF wants to do that this time.

Well, it is good to see interest from so many cities anyway.

The USSF recently released a list of potential venues it is studying to host World Cup matches if the United States is awarded either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup by FIFA. Some of the venues listed are obvious, some are mind-boggling.

With that said, here's my fantasy World Cup bid: [Non corporate name required for WC]

Pod A (East) -

• Meadowlands Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey): As it serves the largest city in the country this is an obvious choice.
• Lincoln Financial Field [Philadelphia WC Stadium] (Philadelphia, PA): It was between Philadelphia and Foxborough, I picked Philadelphia though I have nothing against New England.
• New Stadium (Washington, District of Columbia)*: You'd expect the national capital to host matches but DC's treatment of DC United is nothing short of shameful. After bending over backwards to steal the baseball Nationals from Montreal and then build them a stadium the District has treated United, a championship team, like a second-class citizen and if they continue to do so...
• Bank of America Stadium [Carolina Stadium] (Charlotte, North Carolina)*: Charlotte should step in and host in DC's place if the mistreatment of United continues. Charlotte is a capable host (indeed, it plays host to 300,000 visitors twice for events a year and has hosted numerous basketball finals) and a very willing host. Charlotte has gone above and beyond to make people attending special events feel at home. Quietly, with four solid USL teams, North Carolina is one of the homes of American soccer.

Pod B (South) -

• Dolphin Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida): Again, an obvious choice given Miami's appeal to tourists and Americans alike. The very cosmopolitan city would be a great fit.
• Reliant Stadium [Houston WC Stadium] (Houston, Texas): Houston was actually questionable for me because it's seemingly adverse to mass transit (a MUST during a major event like this). But it is a very, very large city and it would be insane to leave it out.
• LP Field [The Nashville Coliseum] (Nashville, Tennessee): I picked this over Atlanta and Birmingham. Birmingham was my second choice. Nashville and Birmingham seem to embrace soccer events and have stadiums that can actually host internationals. Birmingham is in a dodgy financial situation and wouldn't be able to upgrade Legion Field so Nashville got the nod.

Pod C (Heartland) -

• Soldier Field (Chicago, Illinois): A very obvious choice. Chicago has always been supportive of international events and the second city would welcome the World Cup with open arms.
• New Cowboys Stadium [Arlington WC Stadium] (Arlington, Texas): I have to admit, I think it's a tacky monument to excess. But it has to be included. I still love the Cotton Bowl though.
• Lucas Oil Stadium [Indianapolis WC Stadium] (Indianapolis, Indiana): A great venue, and like Charlotte, a very willing host.

Pod D (West) -

• Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California): A heavy refurbishment would be required but the most storied venue in the American game cannot be forgotten.
• Qwest Field [Seattle WC Stadium] (Seattle, Washington): Seattle is a soccer hotbed and a wonderful city. It's a natural fit for matches.
• University of Phoenix Stadium [Glendale WC Stadium] (Glendale, Arizona): A great venue.

Knockout round assignments -

• Eighthfinals: Glendale, Houston, DC/Charlotte, Indianapolis, Nashville, Chicago, Pasadena, East Rutherford
• Quarterfinals: Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Miami Gardens
• Semifinals: Arlington, East Rutherford
• Consolation: Miami Gardens
• Final: Pasadena

I understand that Pasadena would be an unpopular choice with many for the final, but it was either that or Chicago. While New York and Dallas would be glamor venues the soul of the American game isn't there, it is in LA.

As I said, while it may be an obvious host, the USSF and FIFA should punish DC if it's treatment of United continues as it is. Charlotte has proven it's mettle in the past and would not let them down as a reserve host. Other cities to be considered are obviously Foxborough, Orlando, Tampa, Stanford, and Minneapolis.

So, what would you change? Would you kill me for making these suggestions?

My joints hurt. But you don't care.

Lots of people wrote MLS previews last week and this week, and with good reason as the recent wave of expansion has given the league a nice boost. MLS seems to be bucking a trend among the top divisions in American sports and is actually holding together well, and in some ways thriving, during the recession.

I think the USL will have a nice season too. The reason I think this is because of ticket prices. The USL offers minor league ticket prices because it is, in some ways, a minor league. In reality the correct term would be "lower divisions", but most associated with American sports aren't used to the terminology.

Some of the teams in the "major sports" have been forced to slice ticket prices, indeed so has NASCAR. Soccer in America traditionally offers lower ticket prices, and despite times being tight, people still want entertainment, this is why MLS is reaping the rewards.

Another boon for the USL this season might be the success of it's teams in the CONCACAF Champions League. The league's biggest name, the Montreal Impact, made it to the quarterfinals before spectacularly crashing out at the hands of Mexican side Santos Laguna in Torreon. The Puerto Rico Islanders have faired a bit better, they're currently holding a 2-0 lead in their semifinal against Cruz Azul with the second leg to be played April 7th in Mexico City.

Anyway, lets get on with it:

President Obama did not return my phone call. (No idea where the picture is from, credit if you speak up)

The USL First Division is, as the name says, the top tier of the USL. It's the American national second division. It used to be called the A-League, the Select League, among other things. Then the USL realized that "First Division" sounded, and looked, a lot better. Hopefully it's here to stay. Last year the Vancouver Whitecaps won the playoff title, and the Islanders won the season title. Both winners get a trophy but the playoff winners are the champions, so Vancouver is the defending champion.

Vancouver and Puerto Rico will again be among the favorites. Both are well coached. Montreal should present a real challenge as well. The Carolina Railhawks will look to improve on their 2008 performance, they missed the playoffs. Charleston, one of the league's seasoned clubs, could make some noise after they finished as runners up in the 2008 Open Cup (and really should have forced extra time as they had a legal goal disallowed in stoppage). Keep an eye out for new boys Cleveland and Austin. Watch for Miami FC to prop up the table after a turbulent (to say the least) off season. I pick Puerto Rico to claim the championship.

The USL Second Division is the lowest tier of professionalism in American soccer. Three of it's teams, Charlotte (who've somehow secured sponsorship from Coca-Cola), Richmond, and Wilmington are actually among the old guard of American soccer. The 2008 playoff title was claimed by Cleveland City who accepted a promotion (yes, it actually has promotion) to the First Division after Atlanta relinquished their spot in the league due to financial difficulties. Charlotte won the regular season title over Richmond on goal difference. Charlotte and Richmond have a nice rivalry and should fight it out for the title again. Crystal Palace Baltimore is another team to watch, along with Harrisburg. Western Mass operates on a very small budget and should finish in the middle of the pack. Bermuda (owned by Shaun Goater for any Man City fans reading) faces an interesting travel challenge, and fatigue may cost them again. Charlotte will win their third title.

If a USL team is in your area, it's definitely worth your time to check them out.

Well, there you are. Have a lovely day and please, watch my friend's video. Haha, sorry, it's just important to her (and therefore me).

This is intended to be extremely hypothetical.

I often hear/read arguments between fans "debating" (though it often quickly descends into insults that wouldn't be out of place in a second grade gym class) the merits of the American "franchise" system and the European "club" system.

Major League Soccer (and to a lesser extent, the United Soccer Leagues) has elected to go with the American model, and for the most part it has served them well. There is, however, one alarming feature of the modified franchise model that MLS has selected, the lack of autonomy for teams. I do understand why MLS went down this road, it's main goal has been simply to survive in a brutal environment for the sport, and it has done that.

But there is another option, and it comes from a country in a position similar to the United States both in terms of economics and acceptance of soccer. That country being Japan.

Soccer is generally better accepted in Japan than it is in the United States, but it isn't without "traditionalists" expressing displeasure about it's growing popularity. Baseball is still Japan's number one sport, though depending on who you listen to soccer may be threatening that position with real fight. A large reason behind the growth of soccer in Japan is the amazing success of the J. League, Japan's national league.

The J. League was founded in 1992 to address the problems facing Japanese football. Among those problems was a floundering national team, the Blue Samurai had never qualified to a World Cup at that point, an amateur national league playing in sub-par stadiums, and a general lack of interest from the Japanese public. The J. League was formed by clubs that had played in the amateur Japan Soccer League (which upon the foundation of the J. League became the Japan Football League, or JFL) with the important requirement that the clubs remove all corporate references in the names in an effort to better identify with the local community, or "hometown" (for example, Yomiuri FC became Verdy Kawasaki -- and later Tokyo Verdy).

While MLS has adopted a team allocation in line with those of other American sports leagues, e.g. charging a franchise fee to enter (currently at $40,000,000), the J. League picked a different route. The J. League expands through the roots of Japanese soccer, allowing already existing amateur clubs a chance to become a professional team. This is done under the guise of J. League associate membership. In order to obtain J. League associate member status clubs must meet a number of requirements including but not limited to:

• Being devoted to football (as oppose to being a billboard for a company)
• Getting the approval of the "hometown" government in writing
• Having an acceptable stadium within said "hometown"
• Must be an existing club playing in either the JFL, Regional Divisions, or Prefectural Divisions.

This, at least in my eyes, presents a fine compromise to the American and European methods. A major problem with American soccer is a lack of stability for clubs, indeed we've seen many clubs fall by the wayside due to the lack of a solid foundation. While Japan, too, has lost a club, the storied Yokohama Flügels were merged with bitter rivals Yokohama Marinos, (Ever wondered what the "F." in "F. Marinos" means? Now you know) due to financial problems. (This fusion resulted in one of the best stories of world football, Yokohama FC, but that's for another time.) I think that the "associate member" model presents a better chance for teams to gain presences within their community, and to gain a foothold in a potentially hostile environment.

Will it ever happen? More than likely not. But it's fun to think about what could happen if we had this model in the US.

Eek, sorry for the wordiness. :)

Before writing this entry I owe it to you to admit my staunch egalitarian political beliefs. I feel that we should all be egalitarians, but I won't hold it against you if you aren't.

That said, I wanted to talk about the new Women's professional soccer league that launches this year, aptly called "Women's Professional Soccer".

Little to anyone's surprise you often see American sportswriters dismissing women's sports, often in derogatory manners. It's depressing, but by now we as soccer fans are used to this treatment, and furthermore, supporters of women's sports are used to it.

However, my real problem is when fans of American soccer dismiss the league before a ball has even been kicked in anger. This only serves to undermine the growth and development of our game. The beauty of football is that it truely is the people's game, anyone can play, and anyone is welcome.

I have issues with MLS, and the way it's run. But I would never intentionally undermine it's success, as it's existance is currently important to American soccer. Likewise, believe it or not, a strong women's game is essential to the security of American soccer. America is a female nation, 52% of it's inhabitants are female, females are outpacing their male counterparts in the academic arena as well. Now, moreso than ever, is it important for American soccer to embrace it's legions of female fans and players.

Now, I understand the early skepticism. The WUSA's demise did very little to change people's minds. This comes down to the league being badly run at the top. Basic economics tells us that you simply can't pay more money than you have, it's impossible, and that's where the league ran into trouble. Hopefully the WPS will start modestly and blossom from there. After all, it is said that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

So far I like the look of the league, and I'll certainly watch some matches on TV. My one reservation is with the skorts! That said, they won't be used in matches and Leslie Osbourne doesn't look bad in them ;). Anyone interested in the league should visit rbond007's blog, she's doing a good job covering the league so far.

On a final note, the Ultras Montreal have posted some fantastic pictures from the Montreal Impact's 2-0 first-leg victory over Santos Laguna this week, check them out.

DC United defeated the Charleston Battery 2-1 in the US Open Cup final on Wednesday night to claim their second Open Cup crown.

The match between two of the more tradional sides in the American game got off to a fast start with DC scoring quickly and Charleston wasting no time in finding an equalizer.

It was the introduction of Fred late in the first half that would change the game. Just after half time the substitute found his way through the Charleston defense to put DC ahead, a lead they would not relenquish despite spirited play from the South Carolina side.

The match was not without controversy however as Charleston had a stoppage time equalizer disallowed for offside, replays disagreed with the decision.

Elsewhere the Puerto Rico Islanders scored twice at the death to get by Costa Rica's Alajuelense. The Costa Ricans went ahead early but the Islanders kept their cool in order to find the two goals they needed to qualify for the group stage. The result gives the USL, two, as many teams in the Champions League as MLS. Marathon of Honduras and Cruz Azul of Mexico also advanced.

The final two preliminary matches take place tonight as Jalapa look to defend their slim lead over San Francisco in Panama, and Pumas take on Harbour View in a one-legged affair followed the cancelation of the first leg due to Hurricane Gustav.

"It's our pre-season" was the excuse uttered by Major League Soccer apologists to explain the league's ineptitude in the old CONCACAF Champions Cup that often ran between February and May. "It'd be a different story if it was in our mid-season" they said.

They were wrong.

Very wrong. MLS heaped shame upon American soccer on Tuesday by failing to beat teams from Panama and Trinidad & Tobago when Tauro eased by Chivas USA and Joe Public laid an impressive beating on the kings of choke, the New England Revolution. But what happened Tuesday night in Foxborough was not a choke-job, it was a full scale massacre. The Revs were humbled 4-0 by Joe Public, 6-1 on aggregate, Gregory Richardson hit a hat-trick for Mike McComie's charges.

Joe Public finished the 2007 TT Pro League season in third place, good enough to qualify for the CFU Club Championship, a regional competiton that determines the Caribbean's three representatives in the CONCACAF feature. This year hasn't gone quite as swimmingly for the Eastern Lions as the Macoya-based side currently find themselves sixth.

Many will point to New England's injuries and claim that as the reason for New England's loss, but what injuries can't account for is a lack of heart, a lack of desire from eleven men who are paid to play a game that billions of us play for free everyday. This type of flat, lifeless performance from professionals is simply inexcusable.

Chivas USA did manage to save a bit of face for the league, while they were beaten by Panama's Tauro, they did fight. Tauro do seem a respectable side, they finished second in Panama's ANAPROF to San Francisco who face an uphill battle to join them in the group stages as they currently trail Guatemala's Jalapa 1-0 on aggregate.

The happiest man in America tonight is United Soccer Leagues President Francisco Marcos. Marcos was sure to be watching as the USL's Montreal Impact managed a 0-0 draw away to Real Esteli in Nicaragua which after their 1-0 win at Stade Saputo assured the USL a presence in the group stage. 

Tomorrow should prove to be an interesting day at MLS HQ in New York City, and Thursday could prove even more interesting if the Puerto Rico Islanders can manage to get by Costa Rican giants Alajuelense tomorrow. But the big match will be at RFK Stadium in Washington as DC United face the Charleston Battery in the US Open Cup. DC are the darlings of MLS, and Charleston are one of the USL's most respected, and most senior clubs. Yes, tomorrow will be interesting.

Saprissa 3-0 Houston Dynamo (aggregate 3-0)

Saprissa took their home field advantage and used it to advance to their fifth CONCACAF Champions Cup final. The Purple Monster, champions of North America in 2005, took the lead in the 33rd minute when Houston defender Patrick Ianni put through his own goal after deflecting Saprissa midfielder Armando Alonso's shot under reserve goalkeeper Tony Caig. It was just one moment in a long, shaky night for the 33-year-old English goalkeeper.

Houston would have their chances to test Saprissa keeper Keilor Navas, but the man dubbed Costa Rica's goalkeeper of the future was solid and overall Houston were outshot 15-5.

In truth Houston were always going to be up against it after losing Craig Waibel to injury in the 6th minute, many will question Dominic Kinnear's logic in replacing Waibel with the right-sided midfielder Brian Mullan, who himself was carrying an injury, rather than a defender given Saprissa's attacking options.

After the second half kickoff it only took the Costa Ricans 3 minutes to put the Texans to the sword. Great interplay together with shoddy Houston defending eventually lead to Celso Borges firing in beautifully from the edge of the area. Celso Borges is only 19-years-old and is surely a player to keep an eye on in the future.

Late in the second half Houston would start to find it's legs and manage to put pressure on Saprissa, the best chance came when Brian Ching managed to shake his defender and get a shot on goal with Navas seemed to be out of position, miraculously the 21-year-old managed to make a wonderful save at full stretch to preserve the home advantage.

With 15 minutes to play Tony Caig's brain seemingly shut off as he inexplicably rushed out to meet Saprissa striker Jairo Arrieta who subsequently rounded him and tucked away his team's 3rd and final goal.

It was not all roses for Saprissa however as they lost Walter Centeno late in the second half through a freak leg injury. The extent as not yet known but the Costa Rican international was in agony as he was carried off.

While Costa Rica has recently endured a bad spell it's obvious that the future is bright for the Ticos. For all the focus on the Mexican Premera and MLS, it's worth noting that Costa Rican teams have won 2 of the last 4 Champions' Cups and could well win a fifth as Saprissa will prove a tough test for Pachuca in the final.